Wireless communication devices, such as mobile phones, electronic tablets or pads, and wireless electronic gaming devices, typically include one or more antennas that can be employed to facilitate receiving and transmitting signals (e.g., radio frequency (RF) signals) in the form of electromagnetic waves. Industrial design of consumer wireless communication devices can impose significant limitations on the shape, size, and location of antennas. However, antenna performance can have a significant impact on the overall performance of the wireless communication system. On the one hand, it can be desirable for antennas to receive relatively weak electromagnetic signals and deliver them to an electronic receiver of a wireless communication device without causing further attenuation of the electromagnetic signals. On the other hand, it can be desirable for antennas to receive large electrical signals and convert them to a large electromagnetic wave without introducing significant losses. Any loss mechanism in the antenna causing a reduction in the output power emitted by the wireless communication system can lead to degradation in the RF link, which can be compensated, to some extent, by increasing the power consumption of the system.
The above-described description is merely intended to provide a contextual overview relating to antennas in wireless mobile systems, and is not intended to be exhaustive.